This story is a brief one – but by no means less frightening.
Back in 1966, a man was roaming the streets of West Virginia. He didn’t have much: a green suit, a big smile, and telepathic abilities. Okay, having telepathic abilities does sound like much. He had a lot going on.
And a lot was going on around him too. Whenever he appeared, something weird soon followed: eerie sounds, uncanny lights, and explosions.
The man behind it all was Indrid Cold.
Who is Indrid Cold?
It’s hard to describe Indrid Cold – and it’s twice as hard to describe his face.
The man is often seen wearing a green or black suit and a hat; the one thing that stands out is his smile, the huge grin that takes over his entire face. Like a man with hypnotic blue eyes, Mr. Cold sports a disturbing grin that you can’t help but look at.
Then again, there might be a reason why he’s grinning so much. Ingrid Cold was described as a man without ears and a nose. I guess such a big smile needs all the space it can get.
Other than that, people often say The Grinning Man is over 6 feet tall and has a tanned complexion. He’s your average dark, tall, and handsome kind of guy – but more horrifying than handsome.
All smile, no pictures
There’s something interesting about The Grinning Man, or rather, The Smiling Man. He appeared many times around New Jersey and West Virginia – but there’s not a single picture about him yet. And he keeps smiling!
Maybe he’s walking around with a big smile on his face hoping that someone snaps a picture of him. My point is, there are no pictures of him, but other portraits of him sure are terrifying.
I suggest you don’t look them up. Or do it, but it’s not going to bring a smile to your face, I know that much.
Who has seen that beautiful smile before?
First sighting of Indrid Cold
October 16, 1966. New Jersey. Two kids, Mouse and Jimmy, are doing what kids do. Kicking a ball or whatever, they sure weren’t doing homework.
Suddenly, they felt a chill down their spine and an eerie feeling that something or someone bad was close by. When they looked to the side, there was a man, looking at them, and smiling.
That smile was not the fun kind of grin. It was more of a pervert-kind-of-smile. The one you don’t want to see coming from a dark alley.
Both kids ran away – and the man soon followed them, until the kids lost him.
When they finally stopped running, they realized that this humanoid had no ears or nose on his face, only creepy eyes and a creepier smile.
Second sighting
Two weeks later: November 2, 1966. West Virginia. A man named Woodrow is driving back home on the interstate. He hears a loud crash – but sees none. He stops to figure out what’s going on.
That’s when an old, weird-shaped car parks right in front of him. A man, doing nothing but smiling, gets out of the car.
He does not wave and he does not say hello – but he lets Woodrow know his name is Indrid Cold. He claims he is from another planet and that he is here to see how humans live. And he does so telepathically. Then, he vanishes.
He probably got a ticket because you can’t park on the interstate.
Third sighting
The third and weirdest sighting happened in West Virginia as well. A family claimed there was poltergeist activity near their house. Both Lily and her daughter Linda heard loud noises and saw strange lights throughout several nights.
One night was the worst one of them all. That’s when Linda claims a Smiling Man was looking at her through the window. When the man got closer, Linda screamed – and he disappeared.
Possible explanations behind The Indrid Cold phenomenon
It’s an alien – that’s not even up to discussion. Indrid Cole himself said that much, telepathically. I mean, come on, guys.
It could also be another type of other-worldly being, like a man from another dimension. He did go out of a portal in that third sighting.
You could also say it’s all a weird experiment coming from overly-enthusiastic G-Men that loved to smile. The suits, the hats, the weird cars, and other elements could point in that direction. From the 1950s up to the 1980s, the US government loved to experiment with its people.
My money is on aliens, though. We have a confession here. A telepathic one.
Want to find out more about Indrid? Check out our Podcast episode below!
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